Take-out assemblies

ABSTRACT

A take-out assembly for food and drink economical for disposable use is disclosed that allows consumers to carry both a cup (or shallow bowl) and a food container securely in one hand. The disclosed assembly comprises a cup or shallow bowl for holding a drink, soup, or solid food such as fries, having an open upper end; a container for carrying food having a bottom part for housing food and a top part functioning as a cover lid for the bottom part; and a locking component on the bottom part of the container to allow detachably connecting to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl. The locking component may include an recess portion being configured to tightly receive the open upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; a boss extending from the recess portion and being fabricated to enhance a connection between the bottom part of the container and the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; and a snap locking mechanism on a peripheral of the recess portion to further securely lock the bottom part of the container to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl.

This non-provisional application relies on the filing date of provisional U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/261,393 filed on Nov. 16, 2009, having been filed within twelve (12) months thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference, and priority thereto is claimed under 35 USC §1.19(e).

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

It is very common today for fast-food restaurants, particularly those having a “drive-through” capability, to serve the customer's selection made up of one or more food items together with a beverage, in or on disposable containers such as disposable cups and cartons. This results in customers having to carry a food container in one hand and a beverage cup in the other hand. With the current fast-pace and multi-tasking trends, it is desirable to hold both the food and the beverage with one hand, while keeping the other hand free for other activities such as steering a vehicle, carrying luggage, or holding a cellular phone while talking.

Several serving plate-and-glass assemblies have been reported that allow consumers to carry both the serving plate and glass in one hand, freeing the other hand for eating or some other purposes such as shaking hands with other guests at the social gathering.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,373 describes a plate which interfaces with a beverage container utilizing a press-fit V-type friction-engagement groove. The plate has a centrally-located upwardly-extending annulus including a V-groove on the underside of the plate for frictional engagement with the container lip.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,737 discloses an assembly comprising a plate and a glass having an open upper end which forms a mouth, wherein the plate and the glass each has an interengaging complementary component to allow detachably connecting the plate to the mouth of the cup. The plate and glass are engaged by what might be referred to as rail, tab or wedge system on the underside of the plate which allows a beverage container to be slidably or twistably received to centrally support the plate. Both the plate and drinking glass used in the assembly must be specially designed to include the complementary components to allow the desired detachably connection. As such, conventional drinking cup is not suitable for use in the assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,820 teaches a plate or tray which interfaces with a centrally-located beverage container via downward extensions from the tray which are either rigid or foldable and which extend along the beverage container.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,136 describes a plate-and-glass assembly comprising a plate with a food-receiving surface and a lower side; a glass with a radial rim at an open end thereof; and an array of separate, spaced apart holder components attached on the lower side of the plate. The holder components on the lower side of the plate function as flange protruding means to trap the radial rim at an open end of the glass, securing the plate to the glass. The holder components may be attached to the lower side of the plate through the use of appropriate adhesive.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,028 discusses a plate-and-beverage container assembly consisting of three main components: a plate; a beverage container having a radial lid at an upper end thereof; and a plate holder having an upper side to receive the plate and a lower side with securing means for connecting the beverage container. The securing means are an array of separate and spaced apart components functioning as flange protruding means to trap the radial lid at the open end of the beverage container.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,480 discloses a plate-and-beverage container comprising a plate-lid and detachable bottle having a narrow cylindrical neck with projections at axially-spaced positions. The plate-lid includes: (a) a horizontal cap portion having a downwardly-extending cylindrical skirt with projections at axially-spaced positions such that the skirt detachably engages the neck, and (b) a tray portion extending outwardly from the lower edge of the skirt for holding food.

There is a need for take-out assemblies for food and drink that allow consumers to carry both a cup (or shallow bowl) and a food container securely in one hand, and yet that are economical for disposable use.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A take-out assembly for food and drink economical for disposable use is disclosed that allows consumers to carry both a cup (or shallow bowl) and a food container securely in one hand. The disclosed assembly comprises a cup or shallow bowl for holding a drink, soup, or solid food such as fries, having an open upper end; a container for carrying food having a bottom part for housing food and a top part functioning as a cover lid for the bottom part; and a locking component on the bottom part of the container to allow detachably connecting to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl. The locking component may include an recess portion being configured to tightly receive the open upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; a boss extending from the recess portion and being fabricated to enhance a connection between the bottom part of the container and the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; and a snap locking mechanism on a peripheral of the recess portion to further securely lock the bottom part of the container to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the take-out assemble of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side elevated view of the disclosed take-out assemble of FIG. 1, wherein the container is unlatched and a locking component for a detachable connection between the cup and the container is shown;

FIG. 3 is a side elevated view of one embodiment of the container with bottom side up, showing the detachable locking component on the bottom part of the container;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevated view of connection between the cup and the container components of the disclosed take-out assemble; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevated view of one embodiment of the container component wherein the top and bottom parts of the container are made as one integral unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosures now will be described more fully hereinafter, but not all embodiments of the disclosure are necessarily shown. While the disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof.

The take-out assembly of the present disclosure comprises:

-   -   (A) a cup or shallow bowl including an open upper end;     -   (B) a container including:         -   (i) a bottom part providing surface for carrying food, and         -   (ii) a top part functioning as a cover lid for the bottom             part; and     -   (C) a locking component located on the bottom part of the         container to allow detachably connecting to the upper end of the         cup or shallow bowl in

The cup may be used as a packaging container for various edible matters. Examples of edibles include, but are not limited to, drink, soup, and solid food such as fries. When desired, a shallow bowl may be used for the disclosed take-out assembly in place of cup.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the disclosed take-out assembly. The assembly 100 includes a cup 101 for holding liquid and a container 102 for carrying food. The cup 101 has a bottom end 101-B and an open upper end 101-T. The container 102 has a bottom part 104 and a top part 103 that functions as a cover for the bottom part 104. The top and the bottom parts 103 and 104 may be secured to each other by several closing mechanisms. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the top part 103 has a slot opening 105 and the bottom part 104 has a latch 106 to secure the top and bottom parts of the container together. One skilled in the art appreciates that other known locking mechanisms may be used to secure the top and bottom parts of the food container. Furthermore, although the disclosed take-out assembly in FIG. 1 shows a cup 101, it is to be understood that a shallow bowl may be used in place of the cup.

FIG. 2 shows the take-out assembly 100 with the top and bottom parts 103 and 104 of the container 102 unlatched. The bottom part 104 is positioned over top of the cup 101 covering the open end 101-T. The bottom part 104 has a locking component to allow detachably connecting to the upper end 101-T of the cup 101. Several locking mechanisms may be applied in the disclosed take-out assembly to detachably connect the cup and the food container. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the locking component on the bottom part 104 of the container 102 includes a releasable locking component S-100 that is designed to snuggly fit into the upper end 101-T of the cup 101.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the detachable locking component located on the bottom part of the container comprises:

-   -   (a) a recess portion being configured to receive the open upper         end of the cup or shallow bowl;     -   (b) a boss extending from the recess portion, the boss being         fabricated to enhance a connection between the bottom part of         the container and the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; and     -   (c) a snap locking system located on a peripheral of the recess         portion to securely lock the bottom part of the container to the         upper end of the cup or shallow bowl.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the locking component on the bottom part 104 of the container 102 in details, wherein the container 102 is shown the bottom side up. The bottom part 104 has a recess portion S-100 being configured to receive the open upper end 101-T of the cup 101; a boss S-102 extending from the recess portion S-100 and being fabricated to enhance a connection between the bottom part 104 of the container 102 and upper end 101-T of the cup 101; and a snap locking system S-101 on the peripheral of the recess portion S-100 to further securely lock the bottom part 104 of the container 102 to the upper end 101-T of the cup 101. A snap locking system S-101 may include a set of multiple snap locks locating periodically on the peripheral of the recess portion S-100. When desired, the recess portion S-100 is located at the center of the bottom part 104 of the container 102. The extending boss S-102 may be fabricated in a variety of configurations. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the boss S-102 is shaped to have four arms with a recess S-103 portion at the center.

FIG. 4 shows the connection of the cup 102 and the food container 102 in details. The boss S-102 portion on the bottom part 104 of the container 102 is inserted into the tightly fit upper end 101-T of the cup 101, and the snap locking system S-101 further secures the bottom part 104 of the container 102 to the open upper end 101-T of the cup 101.

The cup or shallow bowl suitable for use in the take-out assembly of the present disclosure may be of conventional construction and may be fabricated from a wide variety of packaging materials. Example of these packaging materials may include, but are not limited to, vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, paper-based materials, and combinations thereof.

The food container of the disclosed take-out assembly may be in variety of shapes. Examples of the container shapes may include, but are not limited to, square, rectangular, round, and oval. When desired, the bottom part of the container may include at least one divider to provide the container with multiple compartments for conveniently housing different food stuff separately. For example, the bottom part of the container may include two dividers to provide three compartments: one compartment to house a main dish, and the other two compartments to house two separate side dishes.

The top and bottom parts of the container may be fabricated from any suitable packaging materials. These include, but are not limited to, vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, paper-based materials, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the top and bottom parts part of the container are formed from the same packaging material types. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, both top and bottom parts of the container may be fabricated as one integral unit.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the top part of the container is formed from a different packaging material type from the bottom of the container. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the top of the container may be made of paper-based material, while the bottom part may be fabricated from a plastic-based material.

The take-out assembly of the present disclosure may be used in various settings. Examples include, but are not limited to, at the stadiums, fast food restaurants, and conventional restaurants with take-out service.

While the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims. 

1. A take-out assembly, comprising: (A) a cup or shallow bowl including an open upper end; (B) a container including: (i) a bottom part providing surface for carrying food, and (ii) a top part functioning as a cover lid for the bottom part; and (C) a locking component on the bottom part of the container to allow detachably connecting to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl in (A).
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the locking component comprises: (a) a recess portion being configured to receive the open upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; (b) a boss extending from the recess portion, the boss being fabricated to enhance a connection between the bottom part of the container and the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl; and (c) a snap locking system on a peripheral of the recess portion to securely lock the bottom part of the container to the upper end of the cup or shallow bowl.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the snap locking system includes a set of multiple snap locks locating periodically on the peripheral of the recess portion.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the locking component is at the center of the bottom part of the container.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cup or shallow bowl is made of material including one member selected from a group consisting of vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, paper-based materials, and combinations thereof.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the top part of the container is made of material including one member selected from a group consisting of vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, paper-based materials, and combinations thereof.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom part of the container is made of material including one member selected from a group consisting of vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, paper-based materials, and combinations thereof.
 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom part of the container further includes at least one divider to provide the container with multiple compartments.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom parts of the container are made as one integral unit.
 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom parts of the container are made of same packaging material.
 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the packaging material includes one member selected from a group consisting of vacuum-formed plastic, injection molded plastic, foam, and combinations thereof. 